OST Financial Video Script

INTRO (insert still images of credit cards, Wall Street banks, native people, students, unemployed people, payday loan stores, the rez, etc.) Play upbeat music, Jim begins narration

“America today faces an unprecedented financial crisis: collectively our citizens are burdened with nearly a trillion dollars worth of credit card debt, more college students drop out of school because of overwhelming debt levels than bad grades, and the streets of many of our cities and towns are lined with more payday lending stores than fast food restaurants.  Native communities are in no way immune from this pressing dilemma and we face an urgent need to provide our people with sound financial education in order to address it.

(show Jim at desk or sitting in a chair)

Hello!  I’m Jim James with the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians-commonly referred to as OST.  OST performs a variety of fiduciary duties for our nearly (insert number) beneficiaries throughout Indian Country; however, our primary role is the financial oversight of tribal and individual Indian trust account funds. Because whether these funds come from lease income earned from trust land, royalties from oil and natural gas resources, or court ordered judgment awards and settlements, the federal government has a fiduciary responsibility to manage these trust assets on behalf of individual Indians and tribes.

Start with still image of OST agency office (Austin’s office in New Town would be good).  Include images of FNDI and Oweesta logos and Building Native Communities book cover

While working directly in Native communities over the past fifteen years, OST has identified a dire need to bring financial capability training to Indian Country.  Furthermore we chose to offer an informative yet interactive workshop that would benefit most people by providing practical money management tools and skills applicable to their daily lives.   We also sought to develop a product that people would enjoy participating in while learning these important life skills. 

In 2008 we entered into a partnership with First Nations Development Institute and First Nations Oweesta Corporation - two Native led non-profit organizations that have extensive experience delivering state of the art financial education training in Indian Country.  Our wide array of courses and curricula are based on models developed by First Nations and Oweesta and relate to our native way of life by blending many of the cultural and traditional values that exist in Native communities.

(Begin rolling footage of training, consider adding captions for topics mentioned)

 Every Native community is unique.   And because not all Native people face the same challenges with regard to their finances, our classes and workshops can be customized depending on the focus and age of the audience.  Available as youth based models or targeted to adult learners, classes cover basic money management topics such as financial goal setting, understanding banking and financial services, responsible use of credit, and smart shopping consumer tips.  To address the more specific needs of some Native communities, we also offer courses on investing, managing per capita and lump sum distributions, and Individual Indian Money Accounts.

Since this partnership began, OST has been offering free financial skills training and outreach events on reservations across the nation. Some of the joint training efforts we have conducted with First Nations include the Ft. Berthold and Standing Rock reservations in North Dakota, Umatilla reservation in Oregon, Blackfeet reservation in Montana, Yurok, Karuk and Round Valley reservations in California, the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation in South Dakota and the Eastern Band of Cherokees in North Carolina.  First Nations and OST have also worked together with Gallup Central High School in McKinley County New Mexico in piloting a nine week elective course that addresses that state’s requirement for financial literacy.

In an effort to get the word out about this new service we want to give you an idea of what it is like to attend one of our Financial Capability workshops presented by OST and First Nations. When people think of financial skills training the image that often come to mind is a long, tedious afternoon spent sitting at a desk with a calculator, paper, and pencil trying to work out a budget. We would like to show you a different way of thinking about financial management that we hope will improve your ability to attain more control over your assets and help you plan for the future. I think you will be surprised at how much fun this can actually be and how practical the information is for your everyday use.  Thank you and enjoy.

Counseling
Jim Cordry counsels a beneficiary

Jim James narrates

OST has 52 Fiduciary Trust Officers working directly with beneficiaries throughout Indian Country.  Many of our trust officers teach free financial education classes in the communities that they serve.  But for individuals who request personal assistance with specific topics such as designing spending plans, reviewing credit reports, or simply need someone to discuss their financial options trust officers are readily available for one on one follow up assistance.